Meeting more new colleagues, and miles of walking, were the features of the day. I awoke early and exchanged e-mails with Mihaela, also up at about 6:00, and to chat with Shirley online, always fun to do. Then Mircea and I met for coffee at 10:00, and walked a charming pedestrian route past a very old part of the city featuring exposed Roman foundations and the birthplace of King Matthias Corvinus, of Hungary, which Romania now claims as "The Romanian King of Hungary, Generally Acknowledged as Hungary's Greatest King." Of course, this part of Transylvania has often been part of the Hungarian Empire, so who knows the King's true ethnicity? Still, tradition does say that this is his birthplace. (Picture from wikipedia.com, at link above).
At 11:00 we met with Dean Gyemond and Professor Jucan of the European Studies faculty. I learned there that their curriculum is being broadened to include American Studies, and I agreed to take on an American Business and Economy course in the spring. Now I must learn yet another subject! Who knew just how right was Shirl when she said I was "going off to college for a year!"
After this meeting, I went to my office at Econ, a fine office, I might add, and met briefly with Mihaela, then with the Management faculty members with whom I shall be teaching this fall. My mentor in the operations management course will be Roxana Stegerean ("Steh-gehr'-en," with a soft g). Roxana attended an HBS program for Eastern European business faculty back in the early Nineties, and knows Earl Sasser, my teacher, friend, and colleague there. My TA in Labor Management will be Ph.D. candidate Monica (whose last name escapes me tonight), but who once summered in Laconia on a student work program! Roxana, too, once visited New Hampshire while doing her HBS program. Small world.
[Look out, PSU! I am learning what it means to be a professor in a University! Two courses, two TAs, and both working only with me!]
On Wednesday (tomorrow) I meet Mihaela at 06:30 for our drive to Bucharest, which I am told takes about eight hours. I hope to be there early enough to get a good night's rest before Thursday's full schedule of Fulbright orientation events.
I shan't be back in Cluj until Saturday night or Sunday. This time, I am traveling much lighter. Nevertheless, the computer is coming along, so I shall try to keep the blog going, and report on my drive through much more of Romania.
2 comments:
Happy trails. And stay safe.
I've been on this street! I remember thinking "This is a quaint little street, I should take a picture." And I vaguely thought the cute little Viennese (I think) cafe on the street would be fun to try if I had more time in Cluj.
Post a Comment